When We Were Young
by poppythecat21
Summary: Love, loss and family. This is the story of two lonely people, who found love when they weren't looking.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! Firstly I should tell you that I although I am an avid reader of Fan-fiction, I have never published a story before. It's quite scary! Why am I publishing this story? Well, firstly, I love Fitzsimmons! They are such cool characters, and I love their chemistry. But I also have another reason. In the summer of 2014 I will be going to train a community in Sub-Saharan Africa in First Aid, with First Aid Africa. I'm trying really hard to raise money for this! At the end of each chapter I will tell you a little bit about First Aid Africa, which if you're not interested you can totally ignore. I won't mind!**

**You can donate on my page: jennicoutts**

**This story begins with Leo and Jemma growing up. You may ask 'where is all the fluffy stuff where they fall in love?'. I will tell you now, they don't meet for a little while, but you get to know them better. (Hint: If you just want to skip to the fluff, go to chapter seven, but you'll be missing out!)**

_10th May, 1998_

A bell rang, and all of the children in the classroom stood up eagerly, save for one. It was lunchtime, the time of day that Leo hated the most. The teachers always made him go outside, when all he wanted to do was read.

"Did I say anyone could stand up?" Mrs Cartwright asked sternly. The children in the room reluctantly sat down on the edges of their chairs, waiting for permission. "Alright, you may leave!"

There was a rush towards the door, and the sound of happy children came from outside. The teacher looked around the room, which appeared to be empty. However, she knew better. Walking up to the back row, she leaned over and looked under Leo's desk, where she saw the little eight year old boy curled up under the table, reading.

"Come on, outside!"

"Can't I just stay in here for once?"

"No, silly. You need fresh air, and there will be no one to stay in here with you whilst I go to buy lunch."

"Please?"

The teacher smiled and shook her head. "Outside," she said, gently guiding him out of the classroom door. Outside, Leo hesitated. "Go play!" Mrs Cartwright said, waving her hands at him.

Reluctantly, he walked out of the playground doors, knowing what came next. The playground was a large, tarmacked area, with very few places to hide, and usually those spots were taken up by the other kids who got bullied. He would have tried teaming up with them long ago, but they were even meaner than the others. His mum told him it was because he was the smallest boy in the year. He'd skipped two years of primary school, the maximum number of years he was allowed to skip.

"Hey, it's Leo!" one girl shouted from across the playground.

"Come on," her friend shouted, and a group of girls ran towards him across the grass area. Leo turned and ran, but their group surrounded him quickly.

"Where are you going, Leo?"

"Running away?" they taunted.

"Hey Leo, I heard that your dad ran away because he saw how ugly your mum was!"

"I heard that he ran away because he thought you were pathetic!"

"I heard that your mum can't get a job, so she's on the dole!"

"That's nothing! My mum says that your mum'll go out with guys for money!" the ringleader, Amber, said.

"Gosh, Amber, really?"

"Really?!"

"That's a lie!" Leo shouted, getting angry.

"I heard that his mum goes out and…" Amber lowered her voice, "she has sex with them!"

"Leo, your mum's a slag!" The girls all howled with laughter.

"Shut up!" Leo shouted, his eyes filling with hot, angry tears.

"What's going on?!" A teacher called, striding towards them.

Amber grabbed his arm and pinched him, her nails digging into his skin deeply.

"Nothing, sir!" she said, smiling sweetly.

"Leo?" the teacher asked.

Leo looked up, wanting to say something. He caught a glimpse of amber's eyes, and felt her nails digging into his skin. "…Nothing, sir," he said helplessly.

The teacher walked away, and before any of the others could react, he ran away.

That afternoon, on his way home from school, he was lost in thought. His mum had forgotten to pick him up again, but he knew she didn't mean to. He didn't mind, as he liked to take his time and look in all the shop windows on his way home. There was the newsagents, a Tesco express, three betting shops, two chippies, a hair salon, a lawyer's office, and three tanning salons. He always pulled faces at the old ladies getting their hair cut. Sometimes he went into Tesco's to buy strawberry laces, but lots of kids had been stealing sweeties recently, so the security guard often chased him out.

Then, Leo noticed something unusual. The shop at the end of the high street, which had been empty for as long as he could remember, suddenly had lights on. Immediately he crossed the street, curious.

He read the sign above the store, 'Michael Fitz's hardware and auto repair shop'. The shop was empty, but there was so much inside that he could not help himself, and he sneaked in through the doors.

All the surfaces were lined with knuts, bolts, screws, fuses, wires, pliers, and tools. "Can I help you, lad?" The voice came from behind the counter.

Leo turned around, and froze. The man's face was familiar, but he couldn't place it. His face was broad and weather-beaten, and his skin was tanned. His eyes were hazel, flecked with green, and although he only looked around thirty, his eyes were lined with laughter lines, contradicted by his sad eyes.

"What is all this stuff?" He asked curiously, overcoming his shyness.

The man shrugged. "Bits and pieces. I use them when I'm working."

Plucking up his courage, Leo asked, "Could you show me?"

"You're a bit young," the man said, frowning. Leo looked down, disappointed. The man shifted awkwardly. "But I guess it couldn't hurt. Come over here, I'll show you how the tools work."

Leo dashed over quickly, thrilled. As the man showed him the tools, he knew that he had found his life's passion.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Thanks for staying with me. Hopefully the story will keep improving! As before, if you want to help sponsor me****, you can go onto bmycharity and find jennicoutts. I would put the whole link on here, but it doesn't work!**

8th July 1999

Jemma sat alone in the school library, reading. This time of day was the quietest, and she enjoyed the silence; it allowed her to focus on her books. Technically she should have been in class, but she was so far ahead of the rest that she was allowed to go off and 'study alone'. She liked that about her biology teacher; he was more relaxed than her maths teacher, who always made her sit through his boring lessons.

She had skipped three years of school, and she was still ahead of everybody else there. Some of the others said mean things sometimes, but it didn't faze the eight year old. She knew they were just jealous.

"Enjoying your book?"

Jemma looked up, and saw the kindly, familiar face of Mrs Stone. "It's good! But I already read it before. When are we getting some new books?"

Mrs Stone laughed. "Not for another month! But you can't have read all of the books already!"

"I did! I read them all!" Jemma grinned happily. "But now I'm rereading my favourites."

"How many times have you read that?" Mrs Stone asked, indicating the open book on Jemma's lap.

"This is the seventh. I actually know it off by heart, but there's something about the feel of paper under your fingers, right?"

The librarian laughed again. "But surely you must be getting a little bored!"

Jemma frowned. "I guess. But reading is relaxing, it stops me from thinking so much."

"Thinking? About what?"

"Oh, everything. I mean, I just can't stop my brain! I wanted to read more about quarks, but the textbooks here are useless! I tried getting permission to go to the senior school library, but they said I was too young," she said unhappily. "So now I keep wondering, because I read somewhere about energy exchange particles, and one book described the electromagnetic exchange particle as a photon, but lots of the other books describe light as a wave, so it can't be a particle! It doesn't make sense! I keep thinking about it."

"Ah," the librarian said sagely. "Why don't you go to the public library when you go home? Remember term ends in two days."

Jemma scowled. "I don't want to go home. I want to stay here during the holidays."

The woman frowned. "Why?"

"They're always asking and asking about what I want to do, and whenever I tell them that I want to be a scientist they say that I can't, because somebody needs to take over the family business, only I hate business! Especially electronics. It's so dull! I prefer actual living things."

"Don't you miss your parents?"

"No."

"Not at all?"

"No."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"I don't even know them! I don't know what to say to them. I see them only for about four weeks a year, because even in school holidays they're always away on business! The only one I like talking to is my big brother, but now he's working for shield, so he's always away! I still get lost in our house. At least I can find my way back to the dorm in school!"

"Don't they try to talk to you?"

"It's always the same stuff. 'How was school? Did you make any friends? What books are you reading?' I bet that the emails they send me are always typed by their secretaries as well. It's so generic."

"Well, how do you answer their questions?"

Jemma looked uncomfortable.

"You do reply to their emails, don't you?" The woman asked sternly.

Jemma shifted uncomfortably. "Why should I? They don't even know me!"

The librarian sighed. "Jemma, maybe the reason they don't know you is because you won't even talk to them."

"No! It's them. They're the ones who…" she trailed off, suddenly realising that she was shouting in a library that was supposed to be silent. She quickly sat down. "They're the ones who… sent me away…"

"Oh, Jemma," the librarian sighed, and pulled the little girl into a warm hug. She saw the child's shoulders shaking as she sobbed. "Nobody sent you away! They saw a very bright little girl, and wanted to give you the best possible chance in life. I have no doubt, they did not send you away because they did not love you."

"Really?" Jemma sniffled.

"Honestly, for a genius, I forget how you're a child sometimes," sighed the librarian. They sat like that for a little longer, Mrs Stone comforting Jemma as she cried. Eventually the class bell rang and the woman sent the little girl away with much to think about.

Two days later, a long limousine pulled up outside of the school gates, one of many as parents arrived to pick up their children for the school holidays. There were shouts of joy as children were reunited with their parents, but the sight of the family car filled Jemma with trepidation.

She forced herself to be calm. Her parents were always away for the first few days after she came home, so she wouldn't have to see them straight away. She walked up to the car, whereupon a woman stepped out, taking Jemma by surprise.

"Jemma," the woman said happily, holding out her arms to Jemma.

"Mum," Jemma said warily, stepping into the embrace. "How come you're not in France?"

"I came home early, so I could greet you at the end of term!"

Jemma glanced up into her mother's eyes, suddenly filled with a rush of joy. "Really?" she asked, a happy smile appearing on her face.

"Mhn. And your dad's coming home tomorrow on the earliest flight!"

"How come?" Jemma asked confusedly. "How come you're back so early?"

"Come on, let's get in the car. We can talk properly then."

Jemma watched as her mother got into the car. She was so glamorous, with long reddish hair that fell in carefully sculpted waves, and her delicate features were perfectly accentuated with light makeup. Her mum was so beautiful, and even though Jemma knew that looks should be irrelevant in academics, she desperately wanted to be like her.

"Honestly, if you really want to know why we came home, then I'll tell you. Your school teacher phoned."

Jemma's face fell. "She did?"

"She did. And she told us about how lonely you were feeling. I'm sorry you felt that way, we had no idea!"

"You didn't?"

"No, sweetie, we didn't. You should have said something earlier!"

Jemma looked down, unsure what to say.

"We came home to discuss your future with you."

"My future? You mean working at the company?"

"I mean about school."

"What about school?" Jemma asked suspiciously.

"Are you happy at your school? If you're not, just say, and we'll pick out a new school for September. You should be moving up to the high school anyway this year, so if you wanted to change schools for a local one, your dad and I can arrange it."

"Change school?!" Jemma exclaimed. "But…." She sat back and though for a moment.

"Jemma?"

"I'm not unhappy at school," Jemma said hastily.

"But Mrs Stone told us that you still hadn't made any friends."

"I don't need any friends, I have books. And I'm really not unhappy, I like it there. They let me skip class when it's too easy, and the library has more books in it than most other high schools."

"So you don't want to go to a local school, and stay at home?"

Jemma thought carefully for a while. "No," she said eventually. "It's not that I don't want to be at home, but I have to think about my future. I'll stay at Abbey Mount."

Her mother laughed, catching Jemma by surprise. "Spoken like a genius. Most little girls would just want to stay at home!"

Jemma went cold. "Is that what I should have said?"

"No, silly," her mother said, laughing again. "I love you as you are!"

"Really?"

"Really," she said, and leaned closer to Jemma, kissing her forehead.

Jemma sat there, shocked for a few minutes. Suddenly she took of her seatbelt and hugged her mother, scarcely daring to believe her own audacity. "I love you, mum!"

"I love you too."

**First Aid Africa is a non-profit organisation that seeks to provide first aid training to people living in Sub-Saharan Africa. In some communities, it can take up to two days to travel to their nearest hospital, and many people die on the way. More so than in Western countries, first aid is vital for keeping people alive until they can reach hospital. Equal access to healthcare is a right, not a privilege. **

**if you want to donate, you can go onto bmycharity and find jennicoutts. I would put the whole link on here, but it doesn't work!**

**Sorry if I sound like I'm flogging this, but it's really important to me!**


	3. Chapter 3

**So many chapters in one day! I'm feeling quite proud of myself :)**

6th December 2003

Michael Fitz sat down behind his desk, tinkering with a motor. Business was slow that day, and ever since he had gained an assistant, he actually had very little to do. In the five years that Leo had been coming into his store, he'd learned so much that he knew more than everything that Fitz had learned in his whole career of fifteen years. The boy was a genius, and if he had been born in other circumstances, then he would be famous by now. He looked at the clock on the wall. Leo wasn't due to come into the shop for another hour.

Suddenly the shop door burst open and Leo burst into the room, gasping. "Mr Fitz! You gotta help me."

Fitz stood up quickly. "What is it?"

"Mum. It's mum! I don't know, but there's something wrong with her! I don't know, she's-"

"Ok, calm down," Mr Fitz said quickly. "Where is she?"

"At home. You have to help her!"

"Let's go," he said, grabbing his coat. Together they ran through the streets, which early on a Saturday morning were still quiet. They arrived at the block of flats quickly, and he pressed the button for the 11th floor.

Soon they were stood in the entrance to Leo's flat. The boy got out his keys, but his hands were shaking so much that he had trouble getting his key into the lock. "Here, let me," Fitz said, taking the keys and opening the door.

Inside he was greeted with a huge mess. There were fast food wrappers all over the table and the floor, and there were empty bottles of wine around the sofa. He caught a glimpse of metal in the corner of the room, and when he glanced over he saw a hypodermic needle on the floor.

"Where is she?"

"Her room," Leo said quickly, tugging Fitz through the mess to one of the doors leading to another room.

Fitz stepped into the room uncertainly, concerned about what he may find. On the bed lay a woman who had once been beautiful, but her features were sunken and her skin was almost grey, and her lips and nails were blue. Her arms were covered with angry red and purple track marks. He stopped in shock, suddenly recognising the woman.

Leo hovered by the door. "She wouldn't wake up, and then suddenly she started having a seizure, and she couldn't hear me, I don't know what happened." Quickly Fitz walked over and felt her pulse, which was very slow.

"Leo, I want you to go and phone an ambulance, and tell them you think your mum is having an overdose."

The boy looked scared, but he followed the instructions exactly, and soon they were in A&E in the Southern General. They were sat outside one of the treatment rooms whilst doctors inside rushed around, frantically trying to save his mother's life.

"Is she going to die?" Leo asked quietly.

Fitz, who had been lost in thought, jumped glanced over at him. He had been silent the whole time, even when the doctors had been speaking to them. "I'm sure she'll be fine, Leo."

"But what if she dies?" he asked, scared.

"Don't think about things like that."

Suddenly, a smart looking woman approached them. She knelt down on the floor so that her face was the same height as Leo's. "Hello, my name is Rachel Winters. Are you Leo Russell?"

Leo looked at Fitz nervously, who quickly stepped in. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I'm with social services. The hospital phoned called us." She turned to Leo, who looked even more worried than ever. "Your mummy's very sick right now, so we're going to take care of you until she gets better."

Fitz mouth twitched. Leo was shy, and a little awkward, but he was very, very proud of his intellect, and hated people who patronised him with a passion.

The thirteen year old stared at her balefully. "I'm not stupid. I know that my mum is a heroin addict, and that her chance of survival is only 30%, but I'm not leaving this hospital until she gets better. Especially not with you."

The woman's face looked irritated for the briefest moment, but she quickly smoothed over her features so that only calm and concern remained. "But, Leo, somebody needs to take care of you."

"I'll take care of him," Fitz said quickly, looking down at Leo and suddenly realising what he really wanted to do. "I'll take care of him."

Both of them stared at Fitz. The woman recovered from her shock first. "And who are you, exactly?"

"My name is Michael Fitz, and…" he took a deep breath. "…I'm his father."

There was a long silence, in which the other two stared at him.

"What?!" Leo exclaimed.

"Can you prove it?" the woman asked.

Fitz tilted his head slightly. "Not exactly. I dated his mother for a few years, and then we split up before Leo was born. But I think that because of the timing, Leo is mine."

Leo stood still, gaping. He stared at the man, claiming to be his father. "But…."

"I would have told you earlier," Fitz said hastily, "but I only realised it today. Ah, I mean, I had a suspicion before, but I only really believed it when I saw your mum."

The boy stood there, for once lost for words.

"I'm sorry, but I can't give him over to your care. We would be negligent if we allowed just anybody to take a child home."

"Birth certificate…" Leo said hoarsely.

"What?" the two adults said distractedly.

"My birth certificate…." He mumbled, looking up at them. "When I asked about my dad, she always said one day she would show me my birth certificate…"

"Where is it?" Fitz said quickly.

"Mum keeps it in a drawer in her bedside table, I think."

"Come on, let's go get it," Fitz said quickly. The boy nodded quickly.

"Wait, I can't let you leave with him," the social worker said.

Fitz and Leo glanced at each other. "It's ok, I'll go and find it, alright? You just stay here and wait for your mum to wake up."

"Okay," Leo replied, although he was almost dying of curiosity about his father. His head was spinning; he had never even imagined that one day he would find him. He watched the back of Fitz as he walked away from them down the corridor and out of sight, suddenly feeling very alone.

"Come on, let's get you out of this place," the social worker said kindly.

Leo stared at her. "No," he said simply.

"But we should go get something to eat. It's past lunchtime, you must be starving!"

"No."

"You're not hungry?"

"No. I'm going to stay here and wait for my mum." He thought for a second. "And I'm going to wait for my dad, too."

The minutes ticked by, and stretched into hours. Still Fitz did not return, and his mother did not wake. The woman occasionally tried to talk to him, to make conversation, but his monosyllabic answers eventually forced her to give up.

He started to think about machines. They relaxed him. He started thinking about how to improve the engine of Fitz's car, setting himself the challenge of using only the existing parts. It soothed him, as it took his mind away from what was going on.

His emotions were messy, and he hated that. He liked machines, which always worked when you put them together the right way. There were no spare parts, no extraneous messy parts. Not like people.

He tried to concentrate on engines, but all he could focus on was how angry he was. Angry, confused, worried, amazed, lonely. He wasn't sure how to handle it. There was only one thing he was sure about.

He wanted to see his parents again.

The woman again interrupted his thoughts. "Leo, we can't stay here all night, I'm going to have to take you to the care home. Don't worry, it's a nice place, with lots of other children you can talk to."

He grimaced, and glanced at the clock. It was nine pm. "No," he said, "I'm going to wait."

"Leo-" the woman started, but she was interrupted.

"I found it!" came a shout from along the corridor. "Leo is my son!"

Leo and the woman stood up as Fitz ran towards them. "You're…You're… actually my…_dad_?"

Fitz nodded, and handed him the paper. Leo stared at it in shock. The social worker gently prised it from his hands, and examined it carefully.

"Well?" Fitz asked, "Can I take him home?"

The social worker smiled a small smile. "Yes, you can."

A rush of joy filled Leo. He looked over at Fitz, who grinned back. Suddenly, he felt himself enveloped by a large hug. "Come on, Leo," Fitz said, "let's go home."

"What about mum?"

"She wouldn't want you to become ill, now, would she? You have to be well when she wakes up, otherwise she'll feel sick with worry about you, as well as being ill herself."

Leo thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay," he mumbled, "but we have to come back first thing tomorrow, right?"

"Right. And every day until your mum wakes up."

The boy nodded, and allowed himself to be steered away and out to Fitz's car. He was tired, and suddenly all he wanted to do was sleep.

**Fancy posting a review? It would be good to know your opinions!**

**By the way, I'm about to start the First Aid Africa bit again now. Still, bear with me!**

**In case you haven't already been persuaded to donate, here's a bit more info. Not only does first aid Africa provide training, it also teaches locals how to create their own medical supplies! Western medical supplies are often too expensive, meaning that even those with training were not able to give first aid. However, we also train locals in how to create their own supplies, like bandages, which are just as effective, but can be produced at only 10% of the cost.**

**I can't post the link to my page here, but you can either go onto bmycharity and search for 'jennicoutts', or you can go to my profile and click on the link directly from there. Please donate! And if not, please review! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**As always, you can donate through my page. You can access it though bmycharity and searching for 'jennicoutts', or you can click the link on my profile. Please donate!**

**All reviews are welcome :)**

22nd December 2003

The first couple of nights at Fitz's house were strange. Leo wasn't used to someone cooking for him, and he was still adapting to living somewhere so clean. Fitz always made him go to bed at ten, when he'd always been allowed to tinker about with different machines until the small hours at home.

Fitz also made him go to school, which was really annoying. He knew everything off by heart already, it was so easy, and there were so many NEDs who always made fun of him for placing first in the exams. He spent most of his time hiding in a large vent which he had discovered above one of the cubicles in the boys toilets. It didn't smell good, but at least he was left to read in peace. He was supposed to be taking his standard grades, but even though he'd agreed to sit twice as many subjects as normal, he still found the level of work too easy. Much to his (and Fitz's) disappointment, the school would not let him take Highers early.

After a week, he began to adapt to his new way of life, and even began to enjoy himself. During break times, he would head along to the DT electronics department, where the teachers would let him tinker around with different machines. At home, he started to enjoy having someone else look after him, but at the same time this made him feel a little guilty. He knew his mum wasn't a very good parent, but she had always tried her best for him, and he knew she had always loved him.

After two weeks, whilst Fitz and Leo were sat by her side, there was a change in Leo's mum. Since being admitted to the hospital, she had begun to look better and better, and today she began to wake up.

"Mum?" asked Leo uncertainly.

His mother moaned a little, and her eyelids fluttered. "Leo?" she murmured.

"Mum!" shouted Leo happily. He had begun to doubt that she would ever wake up.

"Hello, love," she said sleepily.

"You're awake," he said happily. "We've been here every day, waiting for you! Dad is here too."

"Your dad?" she asked, confused. She opened her eyes wider, and focussed on Fitz.

"Hello, Mary," Fitz said nervously.

"Michael?" she asked, confused. "What are you doing here?"

"I, er, took over caring for Leo whilst you were out. Otherwise social services would have put him into care."

She opened her mouth, thought better of saying something, and then closed her mouth. "Leo," she said quietly, "Would you go and buy me a coffee? I'm so thirsty!"

"Sure, I'll be right back!" he replied, and happily walked out of the room.

Mary turned to Fitz. "It's been a long time, Michael."

"What is it, fifteen years?"

"Must be. Listen, you need to know, but Leo is not your son."

"I know. Mark Russell is, right? The guy from high school."

Mary sat up, surprised. "You looked at Leo's birth certificate? Then why did you take him in?"

"Because he had nowhere else to go, and I care for him. Jeez, Mary, I know you've been struggling, but why didn't you contact me? If not for yourself, then for Leo!"

Leo's mother looked at her hands. "I know I haven't been a good mother. I know it, I really do. But if I had asked for help, then they'd have taken him away from me. You know they would."

"You could have come to me."

She laughed a small helpless laugh, and leaned back against her pillows. "Well," she said, "what do you want to do now?"

"I want Leo to stay with me."

Mary looked up into Fitz's eyes. "He has to stay with you, doesn't he?"

"Just until you get clean. You can come and visit him any time." He thought for a second. "And you can come and visit me too."

Mary smiled. "I'll take you up on that." Suddenly a thought struck her. "How did you fool social services?"

"Fake birth certificate, courtesy of Johnnie Baker. Remember him?"

"I always thought he was a shady character."

"I'm sure it's not the worst thing he's ever done."

They both laughed. "I missed you, Michael."

"I missed you too."

**What do you guys think? Please review! **

**Here comes First Aid Africa again!**

**Not only do student volunteers go out and train locals, the locals then go out and train other communities! Recently FFA gained the support of Malawi Ministry Of Health, as well as the British Medical Association. The trainees soon become the trainers, a gift that keeps on giving!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I feel like Leo has been stealing the show recently. Here's Jemma's story!**

**As always, you can donate through my page. You can access it though bmycharity and searching for 'jennicoutts', or you can click the link on my profile. Please donate!**

**All reviews are welcome :)**

25th December 2004

Jemma's eyes snapped open as her alarm went off. 7:30 am. "Merry Christmas!" Jemma shouted happily. She loved Christmas. It was the only time that her whole family got together. Both her parents and her brother would be there.

"Merry Christmas, Jem!" shouted her dad from downstairs.

"Merry Christmas, love!" her mum called.

Pulling on her dressing gown and slippers, she hastily rushed down the long staircase, into the morning room, where her parents were waiting, also in their pyjamas. Since that day four years ago, her relationship with her family had improved no end.

"Do you want to do presents now?" Her mother asked.

"No," Jemma decided. "Let's wait for Ben. What time will he be here, anyway?"

"Any time now, he said he was getting the earliest flight."

They waited around for a while, Jemma impatiently flicking the wrapping paper on one of the presents. "Stop fiddling with that, you'll rip the paper," her dad said.

Jemma pouted. "I want to know what it is!"

"Curiosity killed the cat, Jem!" he replied. "You see what it is soon enough anyway."

"It's no good telling her that, you know what she's like. Insatiable curiosity!"

Lisa, the housekeeper, walked into the room carrying a tray with a large pot of tea. "Oh, good, I was really thirsty!" Jemma said.

As she was sipping at the scalding tea, there came the sound of a car pulling up outside. "I think he's here," her mum said, glancing out of the window. They all stood up and headed over to the hall.

The large front door swung open. "Ben!" Jemma shouted, and ran to hug him.

"Hi, Jemma! It's been ages!" her brother exclaimed, hugging her.

She looked up at him. At the age of 27 he was 14 years older than her, but they were still close. He was a research scientist, working for S.H.I.E.L.D., and so he was always called away. Still, he usually made an effort to be home at Christmas. "What's this big news that you wanted to tell us?"

"Let me get through the front door!" he protested, laughing.

She stepped aside so that her parents could see him. "Hello, Ben," their mother said, smiling and coming forward to hug him.

"Hello, mum!" he grinned, leaning down and kissing her cheek. "Where's dad?"

"Right here. I see you forgot to put your glasses on this morning!" They laughed.

"Come on, let's sit down," their mother said. "There's tea in the lounge."

"Great. I could do with a cuppa."

They all sat down and relaxed. "So, Ben, what's this big news?" Jemma asked

"Well…" he started slowly. "Jemma, do you still want to go into research?"

"Yes!" Jemma exclaimed, but then her face fell. "Mum and dad won't let me."

"It's not that, love, but you'd have a much more stable career with the company."

"You just want to have someone from the family take over."

"Well, there is that-"

"I have a solution to your problem," Ben interrupted. They all looked at him. "I was thinking about this all year. I went into research because I think it's an easy job. But Jemma wants to go into research because she actually enjoys it. So…"

"You want to take over the company?" His father asked, shocked. "But you were so dead set against it before!"

"I think it was teenage rebellion. Anyway, Jemma is a genius, she's far better suited to research than I am."

"You would do that?" Jemma asked, barely daring to hope. "You would give up your career at S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"You'd be wasted at the company," he replied. "And I realised I wouldn't mind a cushy job as C.E.O."

"It's not a cushy job!" their dad exclaimed.

"Oh, come on, you play golf three days a week!" Their mother retorted, and they all laughed.

"I'll continue working at S.H.I.E.L.D. until my contract runs out in two years, and then I'll come over and join the company. My field of research should also be of benefit to the company, right? I know more about electronics than you ever did, dad."

Jemma could barely believe it. She was finally being offered the chance to do what she wanted. She started to again hope for the future.

**I tell you what. I'll spare you from the First Aid Africa bit for a couple of chapters. I'm feeling nice. But you should know they're a really, really great charity!**

**As always, you can donate through my page. You can access it though bmycharity and searching for 'jennicoutts', or you can click the link on my profile. Please donate!**

**All reviews are welcome :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys!**

**As always, you can donate through my page. You can access it though bmycharity and searching for 'jennicoutts', or you can click the link on my profile. Please donate!**

**All reviews are welcome :)**

7th July 2005

It was the school holidays, and Jemma was relaxing at home after taking her exams. She was thinking about which universities to apply for, flicking through prospectuses lazily. Cambridge, Oxford, Durham and Glasgow were her current favourites, but she was a little nervous about moving away from home.

Suddenly, Lisa rushed into the room. "Jemma, turn on the TV!"

"What? Why?"

"Just do it!"

Jemma picked up the remote and flicked on the TV, perturbed by Lisa's expression. They both looked at the TV. Images of flames and ruins and smoke in London city poured onto the TV. A ruined double-decker bus, people running and shouting.

"Oh, God," Lisa said.

Jemma turned pale. "Mum and dad are in London," she gasped. She quickly scrambled and found her mobile phone. She tried ringing her mum, but got no service.

"It's no use," Lisa said, "the network is down."

"Must be overloaded." Jemma said absently. She stared at the screen mutely, feeling helpless. "Do you think they're okay?"

"I don't know," Lisa replied quietly.

The two of them sat by the TV for the whole day, staring at the screen, mobile phones in hand, waiting for signal. Jemma felt sick.

At about 4pm, Jemma got signal again. She stood up and quickly dialled her mother's number. The phone rang six times, and with each ring Jemma felt worse and worse.

Suddenly there was an answer. "Jemma?"

"Mum!" Jemma shouted happily. "Are you okay? Is dad okay?"

"Thank god," mumbled Lisa in relief.

"We're both fine, love! Don't worry. Our building got evacuated, but we're both fine."

Jemma's legs went weak with relief, and she had to sit down. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, and she sat silent for a moment.

"Jemma, love?" Her mum said, concerned by the silence. "Jemma, are you alright?"

"I was so worried," she said weakly.

"It's ok, honey, we're coming home right now. We'll see you in a few hours, but right now London is at a standstill, so it might be longer."

"Okay," Jemma replied, wiping her eyes. "See you soon."

"Bye bye, love."

For a while she sat still, trying to calm down. After a couple of hours, there came a knock at the front door. Jemma ran to the door, looking for her parents.

"You're back!" she shouted as she opened the door, and rushed out to hug her parents. Only then was she finally able to relax. They all walked inside.

"I was so worried," said Jemma, laughing with relief.

"Sorry, love. We would have phone you earlier, but the network was down."

"Your brother didn't phone us though," her father said.

"What?" Jemma asked. "Why not?"

"Don't know. I only just realised that he didn't phone. He must not have heard about the bombing yet."

"He's probably too busy with work just now," Jemma said uncertainly, although she started to have a bad feeling. "Maybe we should phone him."

Just then, the doorbell rang again. "Who could that be?" Her mother frowned.

"I'll get it," said Jemma. She dashed to the front door, but looking through the spyhole she saw a strange man standing outside.

Cautiously, she opened the door. Outside stood a man in a black suit. His face showed him to be middle aged, with a fit, lean figure and a balding head. His face was open, and his eyes had laughter lines at the corners, but his expression was one of graveness and concern.

"Can I help you?" she asked uncertainly.

"My name is Agent Phil Coulson, and I work for S.H.I.E.L.D." he said. "Are your parents in?"

"Yes, they just got back," she replied, an ominous feeling gnawing at the pit of her stomach. She turned around and called behind her. "Mum? Dad? There's somebody from S.H.I.E.L.D. here!"

Her parents quickly appeared, looking worried. "Would you like to come in?" her mother asked the agent.

He nodded, and they all sat down in the living room. Agent Coulson broke the uneasy silence.

"There is no easy way to say this," he began. "I'm very sorry, but I'm afraid your son was killed this morning whilst on a mission."

"Killed?!" gasped Jemma's mother. She stood up quickly, gulped, swayed for a second, and then passed out.

"Mum!" exclaimed Jemma, as her father stood up and caught her mother as she fell. Jemma turned to Coulson. "What do you mean he was killed?!"

"I'm truly very sorry. His body will be returned to you immediately."

"How?" her father asked suddenly, holding his semiconscious wife in his arms. "How did it happen?!"

"I'm afraid-"

"TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SON!" he roared.

"I can't tell you, I'm sorry."

"Please," Jemma said quietly, eyes filling with tears. "Please, just tell us what happened. Please."

Agent Coulson stayed silent for a moment. He looked down at the floor, and then met Jemma's eyes again. "He was working undercover. During the chaos of the bombings, his identity was revealed. The roads were almost completely blocked and there was a no fly zone over the city, and we were unable to get to him before he was murdered."

"Murdered?" Her father gasped. His hands began to shake.

"Who murdered him?" she asked, her hands trembling.

"I'm sorry, but I really can't tell you that. I've told you more than I should have done already."

Jemma stood up, feeling numb. "I'm going to my room," she said quietly.

She calmly walked up the stairs to her room, shut the door, and leaned against the wall, not bothering to turn on the light. She knew about grief, she read several books about it at one time or another. She knew that she was probably in denial. There was a wrenching, cold feeling in her chest, and a roaring inside her ears.

She slid down the wall into a sitting position, holding her knees against her chest. She suddenly felt very, very, cold. "I can do this," she muttered to herself. "I can get through this. I'm the top scoring entrant in GCSEs. I can be rational. Scientists don't cry." She repeated this over and over, willing away the tears.

There was a knock at the door. She looked at the clock. 12 am. "Jemma?" her mother called.

Jemma turned and leaned over so that she could answer the door. "Yes?" she asked, her voice a mere croak.

"May I come in?" she asked softly.

"Sure," Jemma replied quietly.

Her mother silently walked into the room, carrying two cups of tea. She sat down on the floor next to Jemma, handed her one of the cups, and leaned back against the wall, staring at the ceiling. For once, her perfect makeup was smudged, and her hair dishevelled.

"He's really gone, isn't he?" Jemma murmured.

Her mother nodded. They sat together in dark for a while, in oppressive silence.

Eventually her mother started to speak. "I knew… I knew it was a dangerous job." She turned to look at Jemma. "Working for S.H.I.E.L.D., I mean." Jemma leaned over and squeezed her mother's hand. "I didn't want him to go. I told him not to, but-" she fell silent again. "I just don't know what to do. I can't-" she stopped, and took a deep breath. "I won't believe he's gone. It just doesn't seem true."

"It doesn't feel real," Jemma admitted quietly. "I can't believe that I won't ever speak to him again, or-" she broke off, feeling tears welling up.

"Don't do it," her mother said suddenly.

"Do what?"

"Research. Please. I couldn't take it if I lost you, too."

"Research isn't what got him killed, mum!" Jemma protested.

"Please!" her mother said, pleading. "Please, don't do it. Please don't make me worry about you, too."

"Mum, I-"

"Please." Jemma looked into her mother's eyes, filled with tears, pleading.

Jemma looked down at the floor. "I won't. I won't be a research scientist."

**How am I doing?**

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	7. Chapter 7

**Hey! I've written so many chapters in one day that my fingers ache! There will be one more chapter after this one that I will upload tonight, and after that I will keep updating the story on Tuesday. (Tomorrow is going to be really hectic!)**

**As always, you can donate through my page. You can access it though bmycharity and searching for 'jennicoutts', or you can click the link on my profile. Please donate!**

**All reviews are welcome :)**

9th September 2006

Jemma walked up the steps to Queen Margaret Residences nervously, arms full of boxes of clothes and cooking equipment. Her parents followed her up the steps, carrying the last of her belongings into the building.

"I can't believe you're starting university already," her mother said, putting down the box in Jemma's new room.

"I wish you had chosen somewhere closer," her father said. "Glasgow is six hours away, even on the high speed train!"

"But they have a really great business school here, I have really good opportunities!"

"Too late now, anyway," her mother chimed in. She turned to Jemma. "I can't believe my little girl is already going to university. Only fifteen years old! Are you sure you'll be ok?"

"I'll be fine, mum!" Jemma smiled.

"There was an article about you in the guardian today," her dad said, handing her the folded up newspaper.

"I'll read it later," she replied. "I need to start unpacking!"

Her parents stayed around for a little longer, helping her put some of her stuff away into the cupboards. After a cup of tea, her father stood up and looked at his watch. "We should be off, love," he said to his wife.

"Gosh, it's 5pm already, and we have to check into our hotel still!"

"We'll have to leave very early tomorrow morning, as we've got a board meeting at 12pm, so this is probably the last time we'll see you until the holidays."

"Okay," she replied. She was used to the long periods of separation now, as it was similar to boarding school.

She walked down with them to the entrance, where the Audi was waiting. She'd insisted on her family taking the smaller car; she didn't want to attract too much attention on her very first day.

They said their goodbyes, and she waved as the car pulled out of the gates, feeling a little guilty.

If she was honest, she had deliberately chosen a university far from home. A six months earlier, she had managed to persuade her tutors to allow her to take on two degree courses instead of one, and kept it a secret from her parents.

She had promised not to go into research, but she could not quite bring herself to give up on her dream just yet. The wind started to blow and Jemma shivered, so she headed back indoors.

Once in her room she flopped onto her bed, and stared at the ceiling. She stretched, her back aching a little from carrying all the boxes. She noticed the newspaper lying next to her on the bed, and picked it up.

Flicking through it idly, she arrived at the article about herself.

_Again the city prepares for the arrival of its many students, ahead of Fresher's week, which starts on Monday 11__th__. Among the students beginning their higher education this year are two very unusual students. _

_First is Jemma Simmons, the 15 year old genius from surrey, who will be starting two degree courses this year, reading Business and Natural sciences. Jemma scored highest in the country in her biology and chemistry A-level exams, giving her a total of 7 A*s at A level._

Suddenly she sat up. Her father knew about her two degree courses! And yet he had not said a word. She smiled, glad that he had decided to keep her secret. She continued reading the article.

_Second is Leo Fitz, a 16 year old engineering prodigy who has already been granted three patents for his designs. He will be reading electronic engineering, on an accelerated course that will see him graduate in one year. Leo, originally from Springburn in Glasgow, gained the highest national score in his Advanced Highers for all of his subjects, giving him a total of ten As. _

Beneath the text were two photos, one of which was of Jemma, taken with her family on her results day in August. The other photo was of a teenage boy, standing with his mother and father and holding his results sheet. Jemma looked at his picture curiously. He looked around average height, with short, tightly curled hair, and deep blue eyes.

"I wonder what he's like?" Jemma mused aloud. She glanced at the picture again, and then began to unpack her belongings, excited about the year ahead.

**Helllooo! Jemma, you sneaky girl. If you're wondering why I picked Glasgow University, it's because I really love studying there! I'm going to write about what I know. Seriously, it's a great city.**

**As always, you can donate through my page. You can access it though bmycharity and searching for 'jennicoutts', or you can click the link on my profile. Please donate!**

**All reviews are welcome :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey! So this will be my last chapter of the day. It's Leo's turn again, as I think he was feeling a little left out!**

**As always, you can donate through my page. You can access it though bmycharity and searching for 'jennicoutts', or you can click the link on my profile. Please donate!**

**All reviews are welcome :)**

10th September 2006

"You ready to leave yet?" Fitz called up the stairs.

"Almost!" shouted Leo. "I just gotta pack a couple more things!"

"The car's already full!"

"It's a small car!"

"You've packed too much stuff."

"What? No I haven't! I need all of it. The car is full because it's too small."

"It's full because of all the little gizmos you've been tinkering with! What are you going to do with all of them at uni, anyway? You'll be too busy!"

"Actually, I need all of them! And anyway, we live in the same city! We can just make two journeys."

"He's hopeless," muttered Fitz to Mary, who was coming out of the kitchen. She grinned.

"I heard that!" yelled Leo. He clattered down the stairs carrying yet another card board box. "And anyway, I don't see why I have to move out. It's not like I couldn't commute."

"Forget it, Leo. You'll be missing out if you're the only one who hasn't moved out yet," Fitz retorted.

"Besides, you're driving your dad crazy," quipped Mary.

"Hey!" Leo shouted.

"Besides, you need to socialize. You're basically a recluse, right now. You've forced us to take drastic measures."

"I'm not a recluse."

"You're in denial. When's the last time you said more than three words to another person, other than your mum and me?"

Leo thought for a second. He narrowed his eyes and stalked out to the car sulkily.

Mary turned to Fitz. "He's sixteen, but he acts like a five year old. Do you think he'll be okay?"

"This is for the best," Fitz replied reassuringly.

"Are we leaving yet, or what?" Leo yelled from outside.

Mary rolled her eyes. "Coming!" she shouted, grabbing her coat.

"I have something that will make him feel better," Fitz said, grinning as he grabbed yesterday's newspaper. "Leo, guess who got into the newspaper yesterday!"

Leo dashed over and snatched the newspaper, making Fitz laugh. Leo loved to have people sing his praises.

Then Leo's face fell. Fitz sniggered, knowing how Leo hated to share the limelight. "Who is this other girl?!"

"An English girl, apparently, who is just as clever as you are."

"Nobody is as clever as I am."

"Did you look at her age? She's a year younger than you."

"And she's studying two degrees, not one," his mother chimed in.

"What?!" Leo exclaimed, and examined the newspaper closely. "Fifteen?! But wait, she's taking three years over her two degrees, so I'm still better than her."

His parents started laughing. "You're so cute when you're angry!" his mother said, patting his tightly curled hair.

Sulkily, he got into the car. "Well? Are we leaving or not?"

His parents, still sniggering, climbed into the front seats. "Wave your house goodbye, kiddo!" Fitz said.

"Why should I? The house is not a sentient being. It doesn't care."

"Spoilsport," his mum replied.

Leo continued examining the photo of the girl, sizing up his competition. Her hair was long and reddish, and her face pretty looking, with warm brown eyes and full lips. She was stood with her family outside what looked like a mansion. So pretentious. He was fairly convinced that her parents had spent a fortune on tutors and extra help. She was probably private schooled and everything.

"We're here," Fitz called backwards, as they pulled into the drive of Queen Margaret Residences. Together they found his flat, and started to carry the many boxes up to Leo's new room. The building was nice, and the buildings well kept, something Leo did not expect. He began to feel that Uni would not be so bad, after all.

After all the boxes were unloaded, the three of them sat down in the kitchen and had a cup of tea. They hadn't met any of his new flatmates yet, which did not bother Fitz at all.

"Excited about Fresher's week tomorrow?" Fitz asked.

"No."

"Why not?" his parents cried in mock horror.

"It's just a week devoted to getting drunk. Nothing special. I'm not even old enough to drink, anyway."

"Pfft," Fitz said.

"This is Glasgow. Everybody drinks underage," said Mary.

"What kind of parents are you?!" Leo exclaimed.

"Come on, Leo, live a little!" laughed Fitz.

"Seriously, though, don't drink too much, you'll regret it later," his mum said seriously.

"I don't think there's any danger of that," Leo retorted. "Drinking is stupid, anyway."

"Ah, well. Should have expected that!" Fitz replied. "Well, Mary, we should be off, so that he has time to settle in."

"What, you're not even going to help me unpack?"

"Hmm, let me think," Mary said, stoking her chin. "Nope!"

"I agree. Let's go!"

"Hey! You can't just leave!" Leo protested. "What kind of parents are you?!"

"It's for your own good, Love," his mother said. His parents glanced at each other, eyes twinkling.

"Time to go!" Fitz said, grinning.

They all trooped downstairs, where they said their goodbyes. "Remember, Leo, you can always phone us up if you need help!" Fitz said.

Leo sniggered. "I won't need your help. I can survive on my own, you know!"

"Time will tell, Leo, time will tell."

They got into the car and left, with Leo waving at them as they drove through the gates. He shivered in the cold, as he had come outside without a jacket, and quickly headed back into the kitchen so that he could make himself another cup of tea.

He was just walking out of the kitchen when a girl walked in. They both froze.

In front of him, wearing comfy jeans and a pretty top and a look of shock mirroring Fit's own, stood the girl from the newspaper. She was beautiful, and yet he had never disliked anything more in his life.

Inwardly, he groaned. He was starting to dread the year ahead.

**I will update the story with more chapters on Tuesday evening (British time), as I will be really busy tomorrow. Enjoying the story?**

**As always, you can donate through my page. You can access it though bmycharity and searching for 'jennicoutts', or you can click the link on my profile. Please donate!**

**All reviews are welcome :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello again! Thanks for all the reviews that were posted, I really appreciate it! There will be only two chapters uploaded today, but chapter 10 will be quite long.**

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**All reviews are welcome :)**

_10th September 2006 (Earlier on in the day)_

Jemma pottered about in her room, putting the last of her belongings away in the cupboards. Later on in the day she planned on going out and going grocery shopping, as she was currently surviving on only the basic supplies that her parents had left behind, but it was still morning and she had all day.

Looking around the room, she admired how tidy it was, feeling satisfied. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of the newspaper on her desk, looking messy. She liked the article, so she cut it out and pinned it to her notice board above her computer, and then threw the rest of the newspaper away.

Sitting at her desk, she idly rearranged the pens out of boredom, and glanced up at the article, staring at the boy's face. Tilting her head to one side, she wondered what the boy was like. He was the only one at university who was similar to her own age, and it would be nice to be friends with someone who actually understood what it was like to be smarter than everybody else in the room.

Or maybe more than friends. He was similar to her; she was willing to bet that they had shared interests, and they could talk to each other on an intellectual level. The more she looked at his picture, the more handsome he looked. His eyes were deep blue, and although his smile looked a little awkward and embarrassed, it was adorable. She started to imagine them together, walking in the park, dancing, kissing…

Jemma sat bolt upright, turning beet red. She glanced around her, embarrassed, even though she knew there was nobody else in the room. "What are you imagining, Jemma?" she muttered to herself. "You've never even met him!" She stood up and paced around her room, trying to remove the image of them kissing from her head.

"Tea," she thought to herself. "I need tea." She pulled on her slippers and headed out into the corridor, pausing by the mirror to check her appearance. She hadn't met any of her new flatmates yet, and she wanted to make a good impression. She'd heard somebody else moving in earlier, but she had been too shy to go out into the hall and meet them, especially whilst their parents were still around.

As she walked into the kitchen, she froze, almost walking headlong into a boy.

Not just any boy. The boy from the newspaper.

He stood in front of her, holding a steaming mug of tea, mouth open in shock, looking like an idiot. His tightly curled hair was short and neat, and he wore a loose flannel shirt and jeans.

He was the first to recover from his shock. "What are _you_ doing here?!"

Jemma was shaken out of her silent reverie with a start. "What do you mean, what am I doing here?" she retorted, irritated to find she was turning bright red again. "I live here!"

"Bloody hell," he groaned. "You of all people!"

"What do you mean by that?!" Jemma exclaimed, annoyed, any feelings of admiration quickly disappearing.

"You're…" he frowned, searching for the right words. Eventually he gave up. "You're so annoying!"

"Huh?!" she exclaimed, momentarily speechless. She found that his face was suddenly very, very unattractive. "What are you, five years old?! You don't even know me!"

"I don't need to. Your face is annoying."

Jemma glared at him. "My face?! You're such a prick!"

"Oh, name-calling, now, are we?" he smirked. "I was right about you."

"What? You started it!"

"Whatever. I'm going to my room." He walked past her, leaving her stood gaping at his back.

His door slammed shut. Jemma began to get very, very angry. "What? Hey! Come back here!"

"No!" came his voice through the door.

"Hey!" She banged on his door with her fist. "Hey! HEY!"

The door suddenly opened, and Jemma almost fell through. The boy stood in the doorway, looking intensely irritated. "What?!" the boy exclaimed. "You're so annoying!"

"What are you, a child? Don't judge me before you know me!"

"I don't _want_ to know you!"

"Well, maybe I don't want to know you, either!" she retorted indignantly, and she turned on her heel and stormed off.

"Good riddance!" he called after her.

It took every ounce of self-control Jemma had to stop herself from turning around and punching him. She marched into her room and slammed the door, then flopped onto her bed, seething.

Her phone started to ring. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, and saw that the caller was her mother. Forcing the irritation out of her voice, she answered. "Hi mum!"

"Hello, sweetie. Me and your dad where just phoning to let you know we've made it back okay. How's it going? Have you met any of your flatmates yet?"

Jemma grimaced. "I met one of them."

"You did? Boy or girl? How did it go?"

"It… could have been better."

**Enjoying the story so far? Look out for the next chapter being uploaded some time this evening!**

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	10. Chapter 10

**This will be my last chapter this evening, but I will try and update later on in the week if I get time :) Thanks for staying with me so far!**

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_11th September 2006_

Leo woke up in his new room, feeling apprehensive. His whole life he had only lived in two places, either at his mother's flat or his father's house. Already, although he did not want to admit it, he was missing home. Around him were piles and piles of cardboard boxes. He had unpacked just enough for him to be able to survive, such as clothes and bedding, but his laziness had overcome him later on.

He got out of bed, and stretched, yawning. Still in his pajamas, he wandered into the kitchen to find breakfast. _That girl_ was sat there again, sipping at a mug of tea, with a bowl of shreddies covered with a small mountain of sugar in front of her.

He stopped, and they glared at each other for a few seconds. He was hungry, but he didn't want to use the kitchen whilst she was in there. She raised one perfectly arched eyebrow at him, daring him to come closer and confront her.

"It's too early in the morning," he muttered, and turned and went back to his room. Once alone, he stood in the middle of the room, wandering what to do next. He crashed back onto his bed again, but he was already wide awake, and his stomach was grumbling loudly.

He cursed inwardly. He knew he shouldn't have made an enemy out of _that girl_ straight away, and he was beginning to regret being so rude. But there was no way in heaven or on earth that he would ever apologize. Never.

He lay down, carefully listening for the sound of the kitchen door. After about ten minutes, he heard the kitchen door open, and the sound of somebody walking down the hallway. "Finally!" he muttered.

He opened his door a crack, just enough for him to be able to check that the hallway was clear. At long last, he was able to walk into the kitchen, and make himself some toast and coffee. He sat down at the table to eat his breakfast. He was just tucking into his second slice of toast when he heard the sound of somebody walking down the corridor.

In a moment of panic, he wondered if he could hide under the table, worried that that girl would be coming back. He froze as the door opened, only to see someone completely unexpected walk in.

"Oh, hello!" the strange girl said cheerfully. Her accent was Irish. Her hair was long and blonde, and she had blue eyes and pale skin. She wore her loose T-shirt and jeans in a casual, nonchalant way that screamed that she was in the 'it' crowd. The kind of cool person who usually wasn't very nice, in Leo's experience. "My name's Katie. Katie Desmond." She stuck out her hand.

"Leo Fitz," he replied awkwardly, shaking her hand.

"You look young! How old are you? I'm 23. Old, I know, but this is my second degree."

"I'm 16," he replied uncomfortably.

"Wow! So young. You must be a genius!" Leo warmed to her at that. "What course are you studying?"

"Electrical engineering," he replied a little more easily. "It's an accelerated course, so I'll be graduating in one year," he added smugly.

The girl looked impressed, Leo was pleased to notice. "I'm studying law, this time around. I also have a previous degree in forensics, but I couldn't find a job, so I travelled the world for a year and now I'm back at uni." Leo wondered how she could be so enthusiastic at nine am.

"You want to be a lawyer?" he asked, struggling for conversation topics as she started to make herself food.

"U-huh," she replied. The kitchen fell into a slightly awkward silence. Leo sat there uncomfortably, searching around in vain for topics.

Eventually, she broke the silence. "Have you met any of our other flatmates, yet?"

He shook his head. "Only you, and another girl."

"Was it Alice, or Sunny?"

"Who? No, I don't think so. Her name is Jemma, I think."

"Oh, I see. She must be the only one I haven't met yet! There's Alice, from Manchester, and Alexander, from Aberdeen, and Sunny, who's from Taiwan." As she recalled their names, she counted them off on her fingers.

"Sunny doesn't sound like a Taiwanese name," Leo pointed out.

"I think her actual name is Sun Mae Shi. I think. I was drunk when she told me, so I can't really remember. But they're all really nice!"

Leo nodded, unsure what else to say. The kitchen again fell silent, each second feeling like hours.

"Well," Katie said awkwardly, "I agreed to go to the Fresher's address with Sunny, which starts at twelve, so I should go and get ready. Would you like to come?"

Leo thought about it. "Nah," he replied eventually. "I really need to unpack; I only moved in yesterday."

"Ah, okay. See you around, then!" She waved and walked out of the kitchen.

Leo breathed a sigh of relief. He had been terrified that university would just be a repeat of high school, but surprisingly his first conversation had gone fairly well. If he excluded the conversation with _that girl_, which he did.

That day he pottered about the uni, familiarizing himself with his surroundings. He did not bother going to any of the events; he assumed that most of them revolved around drinking anyway. After a few hours he headed back to the flat.

That evening he cooked himself dinner, and sat down to eat in the kitchen. Technically, this was his second attempt at dinner. He had given up on his first attempt. His second attempt consisted of only a microwave meal, nothing special. He made a mental note to look up recipes online, rather than trying to experiment.

Suddenly, the kitchen opened, and _that girl_ walked in. Leo grimaced, and she made a look of disgust in return.

"Hey, I'm eating in here!" Leo complained.

She rolled her eyes. "This is a shared flat, you know!"

"I waited until you had finished in here this morning. You can at least wait until I finish my dinner!"

"No," she replied, ripping open a ready-made meal of pasta and shoving it in the microwave. "If you don't want to be around me, you're the one who is going to have to leave."

He frowned at her irately. "You're so annoying!"

"So you keep telling me." There was an awkward silence whilst she waited for the microwave to finish cooking. She removed her food from the microwave and tipped it all onto a plate, and then sat down at the table, directly across from him. She started to eat, slowly and deliberately, her eyes daring him to give in and leave.

"Leave," he said again. He still had over half a plate of food left, and he could not bring himself to leave before he had finished, or to eat in his room, as then it would seem like she had won.

"Nope," she replied, eating her food even slower than before.

He glared at her. She met his gaze, but did not falter. He watched her eat slowly, mouthful by painful mouthful. He knew she was just doing it to irritate him. And much to his annoyance, it was working.

She was pretty, he noticed in an objective way. Even Beautiful. And clearly close to his intelligence level. He would not go as far to say intellectual equal. But her face, the longer he looked at it, infuriated him more and more with every passing minute.

He began to suspect that she was enjoying herself, exacting revenge for what he had said earlier. He could end this all now, if he apologized. But there was no way that that could happen. He decided to try and change tactics.

"So you like spending time with me, then?" he asked, trying to sound laid-back.

She snorted infuriatingly. "Dream on. I just like to eat my dinner at a table, rather than at a desk." Privately, Leo felt the same way. He found himself even more irritated; he didn't like the idea that they were similar.

"Then why do you keep staring at me?"

"No more than you've been staring at me." Her expression was carefully nonchalant, but her cheeks blushed slightly.

"I wasn't staring. I was critically examining your face."

"What were you examining my face for?" she asked, looking at her food.

"I was trying to determine exactly what it is about your face that irritates me."

Annoyance flickered across her face, but she quickly wiped it away, realizing what he was doing. "Any excuse to stare at my face, right?"

It was Leo's turn to turn red. "That's ridiculous," he exclaimed, and cursed himself for not thinking of a witty riposte. She smirked, seeing his discomfort.

Leo looked down at his plate, and realized that he had finished his food. With relief, he stood up and washed up his plate, careful to take just enough time that it wouldn't seem like he was running away.

"Bye!" the girl said, waving her fork and smirking at him as he left the kitchen.

Infuriated, he marched down the corridor to his room, his mind plotting revenge. Unfortunately, he wasn't very good with coming up with ideas that he was satisfied with. He spent the rest of the evening ruminating on revenge tactics.

At about 11pm, he decided he needed a cup of tea. In the kitchen he turned on the kettle and opened up the cupboard to grab a teabag, only to find that he had picked _that girl's_ cupboard by mistake. He was about to close the cupboard when he noticed how similar the salt and sugar jars looked. In fact, the only difference between the two jars was the label.

He began to grin cheekily, deciding on his revenge.

The next morning, Leo was woken by a large scream, followed by a girl coughing. A few seconds later, he heard a shout. "Urgh, you're such a jerk!"

Leo smiled contently, and went back to sleep.

**Thanks for staying with me so far!**

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